9/19/21 fluke swan song

[Jigman13]

Headed out with my oldest brother from bayonne at zero dark 30 to catch the ass end of this mornings incoming tide at the back of the raritan. 1st time I got him out with me this season! We were greeted by 15 mph winds and slightly off color water. Dammit--but, peanuts and very large mullets were scattered around so we gave it hell.

Oddly enough I saw other humans fishing which I'm unaccustomed to in the areas I fish. They were plucking the occasional short, or nothing.

My brother and I slugged away with a sloooowwww steady pick of at least a dozen fish with 3 keepers in the mix--2 for me to 20" and 1 for him at 18.5". All single jig fish with gulp mullets. The other humans were dragging bait and getting postage stamps.

All in all, I had a pretty stellar back bay fluke season. Multiple limit and 2 keeper days along with a smattering of 1 keeper or no keeper days. As the season got later, mid-July and on, the better I did.

Time to turn my focus on to two things--more offshore trips and tog warm ups. Heres a pic of one of the keepers I caught today. It was laying in some rocks and had a really cool pattern in it.

[Pennsy Guy]

That's a cool looking flatty....wonder if they have the ability to camo(gradually) to their surroundings, kinda like an octopus but obviously not instantaneously?

[dakota560]

Jigman good to see you had a good season from land no less. Not easy to do especially with warmer water during the summer months but if bait is available and where you're fishing there's proximity to deeper drop offs / channels, fluke will take up residence. Great fishing with your brother and putting him on some fish, better than the actual catch itself. Glad you had a good day in spite of the conditions and a stellar season.

Pennsy, flounder do have the ability to change color and patterns to camouflage themselves to predators. Different flatfish species have different and varying degrees of capability. Find the summer flounder in our area on muddy bottom and you'll notice they have more of a darker coloration with fewer to no spots. Fish on pebbly sand and you'll see coloration and spotting like the one in Jigman's post. Depth of water they're staging in also factors into coloration as light impacts their skin as well. Shallower water. more light, lighter skin. Deeper water, less light penetration and their skin coloration will be darker. Nature's way of combating predation.

[Skolmann]

Sounds like a good season-especially being land based.

I didn’t do much boat fluke fishing this year-making only 2 party boat trips (limiting on the first, and getting 1 on the second) and 3 on my son’s boat (getting 2 keepers over those 3 trips)

I did however do a lot of land based fluke fishing (Manasquan River, Upper Barnegat Bay and the surf). Fishing some of my favorite spots as well as a few new spots. Like you, I did very well fishing a light single round jighead with a 5 or 6” jerk shad (GULP, Zoom or ZMan). My biggest this season from land was 23.5”s.

[Jigman13]

The unfortunate thing is we're missing the shoreline mullet run due to season closure. While I'm sure the mass exodus is occurring with fluke heading offshore using major shipping channels, etc., a significant body of fish hug the shoreline following the mullets as they round the hook. These are often larger fish. I get keepers cast netting said mullet, releasing them of course.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Sounds like a great season and I’m ready for some tshirt Tog warm ups too!

[FASTEDDIE29]

Definitely a great season walking the banks of the salty water. Those Fluke make there way into some interesting spots. I like it! The fish pictured sure is purdy. Well done my brother!! :D

[dakota560]

The unfortunate thing is we're missing the shoreline mullet run due to season closure. While I'm sure the mass exodus is occurring with fluke heading offshore using major shipping channels, etc., a significant body of fish hug the shoreline following the mullets as they round the hook. These are often larger fish. I get keepers cast netting said mullet, releasing them of course.

Years ago some of the best fluke fishing of the year occured in Sept / early October when bait fish were pouring out of the bays. The big fish that frequented the rough bottom further offshore would come in to feed for a few weeks before heading east on their migration. One day on the Long Branch pier, there were 13 double digit fluke landed, mid September. In anticipation of their journey, they gorged themselves on mullet, spearing, bay anchovies, snappers, peanuts anything and everything pouring out of the rivers and bays.

Probably the most amazing catch I've ever heard of was on the old Sea King out of Belmar. Same time of year they came across a patch of big fish, think they landed over 40 fish over 8lbs. that day. Fish were caught around the Long Branch / Monmouth area. Might have the numbers slightly wrong but it was an insane amount of big fish.

[BT67]

Plenty of fluke in the surf these days all the way into October, especially as the waters stay warmer longer year after year. 3 fish is pitiful enough and then we have to deal with a limited calendar, total BS :mad:

[Jigman13]

Plenty of fluke in the surf these days all the way into October, especially as the waters stay warmer longer year after year. 3 fish is pitiful enough and then we have to deal with a limited calendar, total BS :mad:

3 fish is plenty for me. I dont freeze anything so I'm OK with that--selfishly. However, a longer season like NY has would be ideal I think. As stated, fish are still here in the suds--I cant vouch for what the NJ boats experience, though.

[Skolmann]

Jigman, what are you’re feelings of expanding the rule at ISBP (where you are allowed 2 fluke over 16”s if fishing from land)-to the entire state ?

One day I’m in favor of it the next day not. Just curious to your thoughts since you do a considerable amount of land based fluking.

[BT67]

3 fish is plenty for me. I dont freeze anything so I'm OK with that--selfishly. However, a longer season like NY has would be ideal I think. As stated, fish are still here in the suds--I cant vouch for what the NJ boats experience, though.


well catching 3 keepers from the surf in 1 outing is next to impossible with an 18 inch minimum. A longer season is needed and like Skolman noted being to keep 2 at 16 for land based anglers would be great.

[Jigman13]

I never thought about it. I havent fished ibsp in over a decade. I do all my fluking from the hook all the way to south amboy lol. I find a solid number of 18"+ keepers. I'd limit faster if it was 16", that's for sure. But it took me several years to educate myself on bottom structure, bait patterns and tides. The back bay is as fickle a woman you'll ever meet. Getting fish 18"+ is very rewarding... esp when you stick a 22+" fish on 10 lb braid with a setup slightly heavier than what you'd use trout fishing.

At 16" theres prob less dead fish released, folks would attain faster limits and fewer sexually mature fish would possibly be taken...maybe?

90% of the people I see in the back bay disregard the regs. Too vast an area to police. Too many nooks and crannies. I hammer the game thief number.